Herbs have been used for their health benefits since before recorded history. That's a pretty good track record isn't it. Modern day marketers make all sorts of claims that they do this and that, and they may too. But they don't really need all the hype. Herbs have stood the test of time and passed with honors.

Herbs are used for health in various ways and not always medicinally. Culinary herbs can so enhance the flavor of foods that they add significantly to one's enjoyment of eating and hence, of life. Enhanced pleasure in consuming foods can substantially contribute to a sense of wellbeing, enjoyment of life and health.

When herbs are used more directly for their health benefits they are used in two different ways. Firstly, and ideally, they are used to prevent disease and to promote health. When used this way they are typically used for three purposes.

1. Cleansing, by assisting and stimulating eliminative systems in the body.
2. Toning (hence the term: tonic), by supporting and boosting the performance of organs and systems, such as the immune system.
3. Balancing, by adjusting the body's various biochemical systems which, when subjected to various forms of stress, sometimes perform much below optimal levels.

When used in this prophylactic or preventative way, dosages tend not to be very high and the herbs are rotated. That simply means that one or more herbs are taken for some period of time and then replaced with others in a series. In this ongoing cycle there will also be periods without any herbs being taken. As this pattern is repeated over long periods the body benefits enormously and can be kept robustly quite well.

The second way is what people traditionally think of when one mentions herbs for health, treating disease. I find it quite interesting that when health is mentioned to most people, the first thing that comes to mind is actually disease, the exact opposite. This reflects two things I think. One is the poor level of health education provided generally and the other is the astonishing lack of understanding of health amongst so-called health care professionals, most of whom are actually disease treatment professionals. No wonder people are confused.

For details and definitions of the various herbal actions, see our Herb Health Guide page called Herbal Actions Defined.